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The Texas Department of Public Safety offers several school bus safety tips for driving in school zones and when sharing the road with school buses. They include:

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According to the Texas Education Agency’s 2021–22 Bus Accident Report, there were 1,412 school bus accidents in the Lone Star State during the school year, which resulted in 272 student injuries, 36 driver injuries, and 28 other adult injuries. Three reported cases of catastrophic injuries tragically resulted in the deaths of one student and one adult.

Without thinking, we entrust school bus drivers with our children’s well-being and believe that the bus driver, the bus manufacturer, the school, and other drivers will follow through with their duty of care. But that isn’t always the case. School zones can be chaotic places where children may dash in and out of traffic, seemingly out of nowhere, and, unfortunately, catastrophic school bus accidents can and do happen. The problem? Many drivers do not know when it is safe and legal to pass or stop for a school bus.

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According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, less than 1% of the national motor vehicle accident fatalities involve children on school buses and vans. Children are most vulnerable when they are leaving or approaching a school bus.

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If a school bus accident results in bodily injury due to a driver’s failure to stop, it is a Class A misdemeanor and a state jail felony if the offending driver has been previously convicted of the same offense.

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These numbers illustrate just how devastating school bus crashes can be. If drivers are not familiar with Texas school bus laws or choose to disregard them, the results can be deadly for child pedestrians. Learning more about Texas school bus laws can help drivers ensure that children travel to and from school safely every day.

As a driver in Texas, you have a duty to drive safely, carefully, and under Texas traffic laws to keep other road users safe, especially vulnerable child pedestrians. Obeying Texas school bus laws and taking proactive measures to reduce the risk of bus accidents are the first steps toward keeping children safe and avoiding costly penalties.

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Violating Texas’s school bus laws, for example, by failing to stop for school buses when the law requires, is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,250 and not less than $500. The offending driver could also face other consequences for a second or subsequent offense, including:

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Drivers have to remember that kids don’t always do what you expect them to do. Sometimes, they can dart out to cross the street when getting off a bus or fail to look for traffic before entering a roadway. As the driver, you are responsible for being prepared to react to these situations. This is why drivers must stay alert in school zones and around school buses. Always stop for school buses, and do not attempt to pass. Stopping for school buses helps ensure our children’s safety on and off school buses.

Texas school bus laws are about being concerned for kids’ safety and preventing tragedies. No one wants children to get hurt or put them and others at risk just so they can get to where they’re going. Drivers should practice the utmost caution when approaching a school bus and always follow traffic laws regarding school zones and buses.

A driver also has a duty to stop for a school bus operating its stop sign and other visual signals if they are on the opposite side of a two-lane road without a median or wall.

According to Texas school bus laws, outlined under Texas Transportation Code Section 545.006, all drivers approaching a school bus from either direction must stop completely before reaching the bus if the bus extends a stop sign, turns on its flashing red lights, or operates other visual signals. These visual signals and others, such as flashing lights, signal lamps, and rooftop lamps, notify traffic that the school bus is picking up or dropping off students.

While a school bus driver may strive to ensure the safety of students on the road, the negligent actions of other drivers — such as inattention and speeding — can still put student lives at risk. This is where Texas school bus laws come in. Texas has strict school bus laws that all drivers must follow to help keep kids safe.

If a school bus is flashing its yellow lights, it’s a visual signal that the school bus driver is getting ready to pull over to pick up or drop off students. This means that approaching drivers should slow down and prepare to stop. Don’t pass a school bus when its yellow lights start flashing.

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